2nd man dies at California home of Democratic party donor

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Detectives have opened an investigation into a second death in less than two years at the West Hollywood home of a Democratic donor, the Los Angeles County sheriff's department said today.

A lawyer for Ed Buck, who has donated tens of thousands of dollars to California candidates and is well known in LGBTQ political circles, said his client had done nothing wrong and is cooperating with authorities.

Deputies were called to the residence at 1:05 a.m. Monday on a report of a person not breathing, and county firefighters pronounced the man dead, according to a sheriff's department statement. The cause of death will be determined by the coroner.

In July 2017, a young black man, Gemmel Moore, was found dead of a drug overdose in Buck's apartment. Buck, who is white, was not charged and critics later questioned if wealth, race or political ties influenced the investigation.

The man found dead at Buck's residence Monday was also black, said Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department. Authorities have not released his identity.

In response to the latest death, the city of West Hollywood and the Los Angeles LGBT Center separately called for a full investigation.

"While much is still to be learned, it appears this tragedy is linked to substance use. LGBT people and other marginalized groups are at elevated risk for impacts that result from the current epidemic uses of opioids, methamphetamine, and other dangerous drugs," the center said.

Buck's attorney, Seymour Amster, told the Los Angeles Times he was cooperating with investigators.